1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a color light-sensitive material suitable for use in a high temperature rapid treatment and, more particularly, it is concerned with a color light-sensitive material having improved spectral sensitivity, grain property and fog and treated at a high temperature of at least about 30.degree.C.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has lately been desired to provide a light-sensitive material which can be developed rapidly. To this end, various approaches have been made. For example, a light-sensitive material is developed at a high temperature to achieve rapid development. However, if such a high temperature rapid development is carried out, conventional light-sensitive materials result in much fog from the sensitivity obtained and, consequently, in a positive light-sensitive material, the clarity of the high light portions dedeteriorates and the grain property tends to coarsen. In other words, therefore, with the high temperature rapid development treatment commonly employed, an excellent image quality is hard to obtain with retention of high sensitivity. Where a support member member used in a light-sensitive material has a hydrophobic surface the sensitive material tends to be developed more rapidly and more fog results than in the case of, for example, a baryta paper having a hydrophilic surface. Where the support member has a hydrophobic surface, however, particular techniques are made to coat it with a light-sensitive emulsion. For instance, treatment by irradiation with electron beams as a means for improving the adhesion between the support and light-sensitive emulsion is used. This treatment tends to induce more fog. When using a two equivalent coupler in place of a four equivalent coupler, the efficiency of color forming can be markedly increased but fog tends to occur. In this case, the use of a high temperature rapid treatment results in even more marked occurrence of fog. Many devices have been proposed therefor. In order to prevent fog from occurring during development (development fog), an antifoggant is added to a developer. The addition of this antifoggant, however, tends to reduce the sensitivity. For the production of light-sensitive materials, in general, spectral sensitization techniques are used. Generally a sensitizing dye is added to an original photo-sensitive emulsion, but the sensitizing dye, in general, tends to increase fog. Therefore, studies of sensitizing dyes which do not increase the occurrence of fog have been made. If a sensitizing dye contained in a light-sensitive material is subjected to a high temperature rapid development, which sensitizing dye is considered to be substantially free from increasing the occurrence of fog, in general, development fog is remarkably increased due to the use of such a sensitizing dye.
It is an object of the invention to overcome these disadvantages. It is another object of the invention to provide a color light-sensitive material capable of providing high sensitivity with less fog. It is a further object of the invention to provide a color light-sensitive material having an excellent image quality even when subjected to a high temperature rapid development. These and other objects will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.